I showed our watchmakers the kind of curved rectangular dress watch famous luxury houses sell for thousands. Then I asked them to remove the famous name and, more importantly, the famous-name price. What I wanted was all of the presence, mechanical fascination and old-school sophistication without the four-figure bill.
The Atelier Automatic Watch is their answer. Its skeleton-style dial puts the...read more
I showed our watchmakers the kind of curved rectangular dress watch famous luxury houses sell for thousands. Then I asked them to remove the famous name and, more importantly, the famous-name price. What I wanted was all of the presence, mechanical fascination and old-school sophistication without the four-figure bill.
The Atelier Automatic Watch is their answer. Its skeleton-style dial puts the gears, jewels and intricate mechanical choreography right on center stage. You can actually watch the mechanism at work, a mesmerizing reminder that real watchmaking is as much about what happens beneath the dial as what you see on the surface. No battery conducts this performance. A 21-jewel automatic movement is powered simply by the motion of your wrist.
The curved rectangular case gives the Atelier the distinctive profile of the great dress watches, while the genuine brown leather band adds the polish of a watch with a much more intimidating price tag. A stainless steel caseback and crown and water resistance to 3 ATM give the engineering plenty of substance behind the style.
This is the kind of watch that rewards a second look. First you notice the elegant silhouette. Then your eye gets caught by all that mechanical action on the dial. And finally comes the part that may be hardest to believe: the price.
Luxury designers may recognize the silhouette. At just $99, they may prefer not to discuss the price.
